As a proud Jewish teenager who loves sports, I enjoy rooting for Jewish professional athletes. Unfortunately, there aren’t many Jewish athletes in American sports.

Aside from well-known players like Julian Edelman in the NFL, the Hughes brothers in the NHL, and Alex Bregman in the MLB, Jewish representation in the American Major Leagues is limited. For example, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, there were only 19 Jewish players active in the MLB during the 2023 season, making up just 1.3% of the league—which is actually the highest percentage in MLB history! While the Jewish population in the U.S. is only about 2.4% of the total American population, the number of Jewish athletes still seems disproportionately low.

However, this year, one Jewish athlete has gained a lot of attention and become a source of pride for Jewish Americans. Jake Retzlaff, the 21-year-old Jewish quarterback at Brigham Young University (BYU), led the BYU Cougars to a 10-2 record and a team ranking #18 overall in the country.

Retzlaff grew up in a prominent Jewish household in Corona, California, and described his Jewish upbringing: “My family is all practicing Jewish, particularly my mom. I had a bar mitzvah and am a member of a [Jewish] congregation. I love my Jewish journey.” Retzlaff has gained nationwide attention due to his decision to attend BYU, a school with a historically Mormon background, located in a state where only 0.2% of the population is Jewish. Of the 33,000 undergraduate students at BYU, only six are Jewish, Retzlaff being one of them.

Despite being a minority on campus, Retzlaff has embraced his Jewish identity by proudly wearing a silver Star of David around his neck and serving as an active representative of his father at the school. He even adopted the name “BYJew” and recently signed an NIL sponsorship with Manischewitz, the iconic Jewish company. To promote this partnership, Retzlaff made a viral video running drills while holding a box of matzah. Reflecting on his sponsorship, he said, “At Chanukah time our tradition was making potato latkes. Now, at BYU, I’m able to share these traditions with my teammates.”

Retzlaff’s success at BYU is evident not only in his Jewish activism, but also in his athletic achievements. The Jewish quarterback finished the season with 2,947 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He led his team to tie for first place in the Big 12, and helped BYU defeat Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in January. As a junior, Retzlaff is projected to be one of the top five collegiate quarterbacks in the 2025-2026 CFB season. With hopes of eventually being drafted to the NFL, he gives Jewish fans a new athletic star to root for in the years to come!

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